Heliophilia

Heliophilia situates the LCD screen in a historical lineage of light-based communication that commenced with humanity’s desire for the sun.

Composed of handmade liquid crystal pixels, the suspended glass surfaces transform from translucent to inky black in response to sunlight. Each pixel is unique, and the abstract patterns are created by the touch of velvet sheets that form the conditions necessary for the liquid crystal molecules. The sculpture’s aluminium frame extracts the pixel from the rigid frame of the screen and suspends it within three dimensional space where the changing light and shadows contribute to the feeling of fragility, temporality and diurnal rhythms.

Funded by Arts Council England and AN Artists Network.

ITO glass, polarizers, 5CB liquid crystal molecules, cables, copper, aluminium.

2024